THE KAMLAEV ANOMALY (Anomalia Kamlaeva)

• Novel
• 2008
• Publishers: Eksmo, Moscow

The notorious 50-year-old composer Matvey Kamlaev suddenly finds his life meaningless in every sense of the word. After amazing the international musical community with his grand artistic provocations (like “Air Concerto” for four helicopters and string quartet), Kamlaev now is convinced that the epoch of composer’s music is over, the creation of an original work of art is no longer possible, and the only appropriate subject for art is the death of art itself. A personal event deals the final blow to his career—his wife Nina is incapable of child-bearing, which leads to the couple’s estrangement.

Kamlaev goes on “vacation from life” to the Swiss resort Bad Ragaz to contemplate his past, from carefree childhood and vibrant youth, to what it has now become. He recalls playing truant, performances as a pianist on the best concert stages of the world, his first sexual encounters, falling in love, playing in a rock-n-roll band, and taking part in the absurdist happenings of the 1970-s musical avant-garde. In his past, he had held himself aloof from the death of his father, who died of cancer, after which he and his wife had gone on a pilgrimage to the ruins of an Armenian monastery.

Discord with Nina sharpens his life crisis. Utterly bewildered and lonely, Kamlaev goes to great lengths to win Nina back. He finds out that she has unexpectedly become pregnant, and that the pregnancy threatens both her life and that of the child. Yet Kamlaev and Nina are determined to have the baby notwithstanding…

After Legs, his successful debut novel about a football player, Sergei Samsonov continues to explore the theme of professional commitment and crisis: The Kamlaev Anomaly is a Nabokovian drama in a musical setting. While vivid images and elaborate syntax build up a beautiful consonance, the reader listens to a powerful symphony of plot, characters, and ideas that form the framework for this subtle psychological novel.